Inside The Mystery Of Missing Michael Jackson Statues — 16 Years After King Of Pop's Tragic Death
Giant statues of Michael Jackson were set up to promote his 'HIStory' album.
June 26 2025, Published 5:30 p.m. ET
As the world this week mourns the 16th year since Michael Jackson's death, the fate of one of the King of Pop's greatest promotional stunts has become an ongoing mystery, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
In 1995, giant statues of Jackson were erected in locales around the world to plug the superstar's album HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I. But where are they now?
Jackson's 'HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I' album came out in 1995.
As part of a global marketing plan at the time, Sony built nine individual 32-foot-tall statues of Michael, each weighing 42,000 pounds. The original clay sculpture was also digitized and used for the HIStory album cover.
The first giant-sized MJ appeared on June 15th in the UK, floating on the River Thames in London. Others soon popped up in cities like Paris, Johannesburg, and Berlin.
After the promotion was over, they seemed to have gone their separate ways. The fates of some of the statues are uncertain, and may have been locked in storage or destroyed.
However, some ended up in some of the unlikeliest of places.
Vegas, Baby!
One of the statues is on display in Las Vegas.
In America, one can be found inside the Mandalay Bay casino in Las Vegas. It was originally installed in July 2016 and returned after a time away in March 2022.
The statue is owned by the Michael Jackson Estate and is on loan to the resort, which is also home to a Michael Jackson Cirque du Soleil show.
One statue wound up in the courtyard of an abandoned club outside of Vienna. Another could be seen at an annual fair in Switzerland. And several were bought for display by theme parks in cities like Johannesburg and Milan.
Perhaps the strangest setup was outside a McDonald's restaurant in the Netherlands. Restaurant owner Peter Van Gelder bought the statue from Sony at a 1996 charity gala for the Ronald McDonald Children's Fund.
Crowds flocked to the giant Jackson, snapping photos and leaving flowers at its base.
McJackson's
One statue stood outside of a McDonalds.
Things changed in 2019 after HBO's Leaving Neverland documentary exposed new allegations of child sexual abuse against the singer.
The McDonald's owner said pressure from the company's corporate headquarters forced its removal.
The fast food restaurant told the BBC: "In 2019, following the documentary, it was decided to remove the statue. We felt and feel it is important for all guests to feel comfortable when visiting one of our restaurants."
Jackson was then taken to a "secret location."
Honoring a Legacy
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
A statue in Italy has been repainted.
Jackson passed away on June 25, 2009, at the age of 50, from a heart attack caused by a fatal combination of sedatives and the anesthetic propofol.
He was in the middle of grueling rehearsals for his This Is It concert residency, which was slated to take place at the O2 Arena in London between July 2009 and March 2010.
Jackson's former friend and lawyer, John Mason, revealed in his new memoir, Crazy Lucky: Remarkable Stories from Inside the World of Celebrity Icons, that the Billie Jean hitmaker was nearly bankrupt when he agreed to the residency, and was about to lose his estate, Neverland Ranch.
The stress of the upcoming residency led tour promoter AEG Live to hire Dr. Conrad Murray to serve as Jackson’s physician. Dr. Murray reportedly began giving Jackson nightly infusions of propofol to help the singer sleep.
As Jackson continued having sleep problems, he demanded more and more drugs from the doctor, in what turned out to be a never-ending loop that would have fatal effects.
Mason revealed Jackson was obsessed with performing during the residency, and begged: "I can’t function if I don’t sleep. They’ll have to cancel it. And I don’t want them to cancel it."
